Life at the intersection of finance and technology

And now for something completely different

Those of you who have been following this blog have had the chance to see many of my favorite scenes from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Who knew that this movie had so much to say about software development using an Agile methodology or about the role of product owners? This first arc of my blog has allowed me to share some important but disconnected thoughts about these topics and has (hopefully) been entertaining as well. However, if I continue to link each new posting to a segment of this movie, I am afraid I will have to start paying royalties.

So as I begin the next set of postings, I will no longer anchor them to Monty Python sketches. If I choose to write about nasty surprises that emerge after what you thought was a clean deployment you won’t find it linked to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy6uLfermPU. Or if I write about the sometimes minor disagreements about exactly what new features were scoped into a release you won’t find me referencing this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL9oA1LFoMw. And should I choose to discuss the role of clever marketing in getting the word out about key enhancements I certainly won’t include a connection to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV2ViNJFZC8. Such comedic skits might be helpful in getting a main idea across, but I also want to build a more coherent and connected picture of my ideas.

Given my deep enjoyment of pop culture generally and movies in particular I expect that my postings will continue to be interspersed with references to things I have watched, read, or heard over the years. But for my next string of postings I want to talk more specifically about what I believe are the top ten things that good product owners need to focus on to be effective in their roles. I plan to start this next arc of postings after sharing my thoughts on another blog I came across recently about great books. Look for that posting in the next few days, and hopefully next week I will start on my top ten list (although they won’t actually be in order, because in truth it’s not that simple).